


The Truth Hurts

by Avistella



Category: Kagerou Project, Mekakucity Actors
Genre: Angst, Death, F/M, First Meetings, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-30 10:17:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8529229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: Because it's much easier to tell a lie than admit the truth.





	

Kano Shuuya was well-known to be a liar. Everything he said should always be doubted, and the young man didn't mind that. In fact, he thought it was much better that way. After all, it was much easier to lie than to admit loneliness and pain. Kano didn't want to bother anyone, so he would go about his days lying constantly to everyone about everything.

But you wanted to change that. The more time you spent with the young man, the more you saw small pieces of who he truly was. They were small, unintentional slips on his part, but you still appreciated it. After all, that meant that Kano trusted you enough to accidentally speak the truth about himself and let down his defences.

You first "met" Kano when you were out shopping with your friends during one hot summer day; however, in the midst of having fun with your friends, the mall was suddenly in lock down, and you were held hostage along with the other people on the floor. You and your friends were bound and rounded up along with everybody else. As you sat there in fear of the terrorists, you could vaguely hear the hushed conversation of two males who sat nearby. It sounded like they were plotting something, but you weren't quite sure. All you knew was that one of the male's playful voices piqued your curiosity.

The terrorist incident was then resolved without any problems. Of course, you were confused as to what had happened, but you were just glad that you and your friends were able to make it out alive. While you were heading back home, you couldn't help but let your mind wander to the two males who sat close by you during that time. They were strange, but you couldn't help but wonder if there was something more to them.

The second time you met Kano, he had come up to you along with another strange-looking young man, asking if you had seen two children anywhere. You were just walking back from the park when the two approached you; you were a bit wary and anxious around them due to their strange appearance, but then you realized that they were jut searching for someone. You shook your head, saying that you hadn't seen any children that matched their description.

The two slumped their shoulders dejectedly when they heard your response. Your eyes softened at their disheartened expression, and you offered them a bit of your time to help them look for the two missing children.

"Is that really okay?" the young man asked you.

You nodded, "Yes. I'd feel bad if something happened to them when I could've helped in finding them."

"Thanks! I'm Kano, by the way. This guy here is named Konoha."

The white-haired male named Konoha gave a nod of acknowledgement upon being introduced. You smiled warmly at the two of them as you reciprocated your name. The three of you then started to walk around the area, in hopes of finding the two missing children.

"You look familiar," Kano commented suddenly, catching you off-guard.

Your head tilted to the side in curiosity, "Do I?"

The young man nodded, "Yeah. Um, were you perhaps one of the hostages during that terrorist attack at the mall a few days back?"

Upon being reminded of this incident, you suddenly remembered why Kano's voice sounded so familiar to you. You gasped and nodded furiously, "Yeah!"

"I thought so," Kano grinned, "There's no way I could forget a pretty face like yours."

"Oh, um...thanks...?" you answered lamely, surprised by the sudden compliment, leaving you unsure of how to answer. You decided to change the subject, "So, what's your relation to the two children we're looking for?"

"Oh, well, actually, I don't really have any relation to them; I'm just helping this strange guy here," Kano gestured behind him to where Konoha was supposed to be following behind both of you, except he was missing.

When Kano realized that Konoha was no longer there, he let out a nervous laugh. "Whoops, guess I lost him."

You just stared dubiously at the young man's easygoing nature of losing his friend in a crowd before you let out a soft laugh. You shook your hand in a dismissive manner as soon as you calmed down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh."

Kano shook his head, "It's fine; you have a really cute laugh."

"Do you compliment every single girl you meet?" you asked, growing embarrassed with each compliment the young man gave you.

"Only the pretty ones," Kano answered mischievously, winking at you, prompting the corners of your mouth to curve upwards into a friendly smile.

Both you and Kano spent the entire remaining afternoon looking for the two missing children, along with the disappearance of Konoha. Eventually, the sun started to set, and it was getting awfully late. You checked the time on your cell phone and apologized to Kano.

"I should really be getting home now," you said.

Kano nodded in understanding, "Yeah, it is pretty late... I'll walk you home."

You shook your head, "It's alright. You don't have to."

"But I want to," Kano replied with a matter-of-factually tone. "I want to spend more time with you."

You didn't know how to reply to that, but upon seeing the expression on his face, you couldn't bring yourself to refuse his offer. You nodded your head to which Kano grinned in satisfaction. As you were walking back home, you deliberately started walking at a much slower pace than before, revelling in Kano's company. The two of you talked about countless things that were completely mundane, but it was the most fun you've had in a while.

Soon enough, you had reached your destination. Before heading back inside your house, Kano had suggested to exchange cell phone numbers, and you agreed to it.

The following days, you and Kano would constantly text each other and try to find as much time as you possibly can to spend time together. At some point, you realized that you had fallen in love with the young man, but you weren't sure if he felt the same about you. He treated you and gave you much more attention than other girls, but you were uncertain if it was because of feelings that extended beyond friendship. You decided to ask him.

"Hey, Kano?" you started the conversation as the two of you were hanging out at the park, sitting on the swings.

"Hm? What is it?" Kano looked at you curiously.

"Do you..." you hesitated, "...like someone?"

"Yeah, I like all of my friends and everything," Kano answered.

You gave a sad smile at his evasive answer and urged him forward, "No, I meant...do you like someone more than just a friend?"

"Mm..." Kano paused on his answer, "Not really..."

"Oh, I see..." you stared at your feet dejectedly before smiling at the young man.

Kano regretted saying that. He regretted it the moment you smiled at him upon hearing his response. That smile was so sad and full of pain; he knew you were just putting up a brave front. He knew, because he was exactly like that. He used the exact same smile all the time.

* * *

_"Why did I have to say that?"_ Kano asked himself when he was all alone in his room.

The young man buried his face in his pillow as he replayed the conversation in his mind. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to say that you were the one that he liked more than just a friend, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He was afraid. He was afraid that he wasn't good enough for someone like you, but he still loved you. He wanted to spend lots of time with you, and he enjoyed seeing your bright face and hearing your cheerful laugh. But Kano was a liar. He was a liar to everyone, including himself.

_"I doubt she would've believed me if I told her the truth anyways,"_ Kano tried to lessen the pain of his lie by telling himself more lies.

Turning on his back, the young man heaved a sigh and took out his cell phone. He sent you a text, wondering if the two of you could meet up tomorrow to try to smooth things over after that awkward event. The young man waited for you to respond, but he never received a text. That night, Kano lay on his bed, wondering how different his life would be if he wasn't such a liar.

The next morning, you still haven't texted back. Kano bit his lower lip. He figured that you were still upset at his answer and that you just wanted some time alone for now. He understood that, and he gave you that time, even if it was painful for him to be apart from you like that.

The following day, you still haven't contacted Kano. By now, the young man was worried. You couldn't possibly be _this_ upset...right? Mustering up all his courage, Kano walked over to your house. He hesitated at your doorstep before finally bringing himself to knock at the door. The wait for the door to open was agonizing for him. He tried to think of what to say while he waited for the door to be answered.

Finally, the door to your house was opened, but it wasn't you that answered it. Instead it was your mother; she looked extremely tired and worn out. "Yes...?"

Kano tried to keep things short and simple so that your mother could go and get her required rest. He gave a nervous smile and said, "H-Hi. Um, I'm [Name]'s friend. I was wondering if I could talk to her...?"

Your mother's eyes slowly widened as she opened her mouth in surprise. Her body started to shake slightly, grabbing onto the door post for support as her eyes glistened with tears threatening to fall.

"U-Um...if this is a bad time..." Kano started before trailing off, starting to piece things together.

"You didn't know?" your mother's voice came out in a whisper. "...She...she died in an accident a few days ago."

Time stood still for the young man as your mother's words reached his ears. He stood still, frozen in shock and disbelief. Kano let out a small breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.

_"That's a lie...she can't possibly be...there's no way that she..."_ Kano's mind was a complete mess. He couldn't even form a single thought.

* * *

Kano eventually found himself back in his room after paying his condolences to your family. Your family invited him to attend your funeral since you talked a lot about him and were good friends, and he merely nodded. Words refused to leave his lips when his family talked about how close the two of you seemed from her conversations alone. Apparently you had died from a car accident. You were walking back home when a drunk driver slid off the road and collided with your unsuspecting body.

_"I didn't even get a chance to tell her..."_ Kano lamented over the fact he was unable to tell you his true feelings.

Having grown tired of feeling pity for himself, the young man forced his legs to swing over the side of his bed and stand up. His legs mechanically moved themselves to the washroom where Kano washed his face to refresh himself. The moment Kano looked up to the mirror, he froze.

In front of him, instead of his own reflection being shown, it was your face peering back at him. The young man must've accidentally triggered his eye power as you were the only one that currently occupied his thoughts.

Kano smiled as your face reflected the same smile back at him. The young man bit his lip as he finally decided to speak the words he had kept hidden in his heart.

"...I lied, y'know," Kano started. "When you asked me if there was somebody I liked more than a friend. It was you. I wanted to say that you were the one I liked more than a friend."

When Kano looked up at the mirror again, he realized that tears were streaming down your face. He gave a small smile as he reached out his hand to touch your cheek, but he was only met with a cold surface; it didn't seem like Kano could tell the difference though.

"You're so cold..." Kano let out a small chuckle. "You shouldn't cry. You're way too beautiful to be crying like this. It's cute, I'll admit, but I think you're smiling face is much cuter."

Kano pressed his lips together in a firm line as he waited for you to answer, but you didn't. You couldn't. After all, you no longer existed in that world.

"I love you," Kano choked out as his legs gave up underneath him, causing him to topple down to the ground with a loud thud. Kano remained unmoving for a long time as he muffled his sobs.

If only he were more honest, then maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way. Maybe it wouldn't have been that sad, fake smile that Kano would've last seen you with, but rather a genuine happy one.

"I love you..." Kano repeated to no one in particular. He repeated it over and over again, hoping that it would heal the pain in his heart.

They say that the more you lie, the more likely that lie will eventually become the truth. But this wasn't a lie. Kano's feelings towards you were never a lie, and the fact that you were now gone from this world was not a lie either. This was the truth that Kano had hidden from himself and from you, and now he had no choice but to repeat it over and over again, because lying about this would be too painful for him.

Just this once, the lies hurt Kano more than the truth.


End file.
